Faith in the Waiting: Trusting God When You’re Desperate

Waiting is one of the hardest parts of faith that we can all relate to.

We pray, hope, and try to trust. And yet there are seasons when the answers seem slow in coming, especially when we watch someone else receive the very miracle we’ve been praying for.

Maybe you’ve experienced that tension.

Someone else gets the job you were hoping for.  Someone else’s relationship is restored while yours still feels fragile.  Someone else seems to experience breakthrough and healing while you’ve been faithfully praying and quietly waiting.

And in those moments, a question can begin to rise in the heart: God, do you see me?

Scripture speaks directly to this experience in Mark 5:21-43, where two very different stories are woven together into one powerful picture of faith.

One is Jairus, a synagogue leader whose young daughter is dying and who comes to Jesus in desperation, pleading for help. The other is a woman who has suffered for twelve years with a condition that left her physically weakened, socially isolated, and spiritually excluded according to the ceremonial laws of the time.

Both approach Jesus with the same hope: that He can do what no one else has been able to do.

As Jesus begins walking toward Jairus’s home, something unexpected happens. He suddenly stops.  The woman who had been suffering for years had quietly pushed through the crowd and touched His garment, believing that even that small act of faith could bring healing.

And it does.

Jesus pauses to acknowledge her faith and restore her, telling her to go in peace and be freed from her suffering (Mark 5:34)

But in that moment, Jairus is forced to wait and before they can even continue on their way, devastating news arrives that his daughter has already died. From a human perspective, it appears that the delay has cost everything.

Yet Jesus turns to Jairus and says something simple and profound:

“Do not fear; only believe.” (Mark 5:36)

What follows reveals something important about the nature of faith.

Jesus enters the house where people are already mourning and grieving, and despite their disbelief He takes the girl by the hand and tells her to arise, restoring her life before their eyes.

What seemed like an unanswered prayer had simply been unfolding on a timeline beyond human expectation.

This passage reminds us that faith is not measured by how quickly our prayers are answered, but by our willingness to continue trusting Christ even when the outcome is unclear and the waiting feels longer than we hoped.

Waiting can be difficult, especially when we see God moving in someone else’s story while we are still longing for Him to move in ours. Yet Scripture reminds us that as believers we are called to walk by faith, not by sight, trusting that even when we cannot see the full picture, God is still at work.

As Romans 8:28 reminds us:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Faith does not mean pretending the pain isn’t real. Faith means bringing that pain honestly before God while choosing to trust Him at the same time.

Both Jairus and the woman reached a point where their desperation drove them toward Jesus with humility and hope, trusting Him to do what they could not do themselves.

And that is the kind of faith many of us find ourselves learning in seasons of waiting.

If you are in a waiting season right now, waiting for healing, clarity, restoration, or simply peace after a long stretch of struggle, know that you are not alone.

Faith is often revealed not in the moment the miracle appears, but in the quiet perseverance of continuing to walk with Jesus while we wait.

Take a moment today to reflect on these questions:

• Where in your life are you currently waiting for God to move?

• Have you experienced the tension of watching someone else receive what you’ve been praying for?

• What might it look like to keep trusting Jesus even in the middle of that waiting?

Wherever you find yourself today, may you be reminded that God sees your story, hears your prayers, and continues to work in ways we cannot always see in the moment.

🎧 Listen to the Worthy & Whole full podcast episode:
If this reflection resonates with you, I invite you to listen to the full Worthy & Whole Podcast episode #7, “Faith in the Waiting.”  In this conversation, we explore the story in Mark 5 more deeply and reflect on what it means to trust God in seasons when the answers feel delayed and the waiting feels long.

An Invitation

If you’re ready to stop waiting until you feel confident — and start walking in the confidence God is forming in you, I’d love to support you.

Worthy & Whole is my signature, faith-centered journey for women who feel stuck but sense there is more.
It’s a space to grow clarity, confidence, and peace – not through striving, but through truth, embodiment, and trust.

Schedule a consult with LeighAnn, a board certified faith & breakthrough coach with over 20 years of experience walking with women through challenges and healing.  There’s more for you on the otherside of what you’re facing.  

Thanks for being here!

Care from your coach,  LeighAnn